Written answers

Wednesday, 23 February 2022

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Social Welfare Code

Photo of Alan KellyAlan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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173. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the process for making a complaint for a person who does not have a qualifying payment for the living alone increase but believes they are being discriminated against on the grounds of civil status; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10382/22]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Primary weekly social welfare payments are intended to enable recipients to meet their basic day-to-day income needs. In addition to these primary payments, my Department also provides a range of other payments, both cash and non-cash, on a weekly, monthly, or less frequent basis. These payments are considered secondary in nature.

The Living Alone Increase (LAI) is one of those secondary payments. It is not a scheme or a stand-alone payment in itself, but rather it is a supplement to a primary social protection payment of €22 per week made to people aged 66 years or over, who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are living alone. For those aged 66 or over, these payments include State Pension (Contributory), State Pension (Non-contributory), Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Contributory) Pension, Widow's/Widower's Pension under the Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme, Incapacity Supplement under the Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme and Deserted Wife's Benefit.

There are no circumstances where the Living Alone Increase can be paid to people who are not in receipt of a primary qualifying payment from my Department. Any decision to allow those who are not in receipt of a qualifying payment to receive the Living Alone Increase - and thereby establish it as a scheme - would have budgetary and administrative consequences and would have to be considered in the context of Budget negotiations.

If a person believes they have been wrongly refused a primary social welfare payment, they can appeal to the Social Welfare Appeals Office within 21 days of receiving that decision. The Social Welfare Appeals Office (SWAO) operates independently of the Department of Social Protection.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

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